Ohio authorities have taken into custody a 25-year-old man following an interstate manhunt after he allegedly drove seven hours to North Carolina to kill his ex-girlfriend and her military boyfriend as they slept on Valentine’s Day morning.
Caleb Hayden Fosnaugh faces breaking and entering charges and two counts of murder following the deaths of Ukrainian refugee Kateryna Tovmash, 21, of Vass, and Matthew Wade, 28, of Hamilton, Mississippi. The double homicide marks the second violent killing of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina within six months.
Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields announced Saturday evening that Fosnaugh had been taken into custody in Ohio following coordinated efforts between multiple law enforcement agencies. “This is a tragic and senseless loss of life,” Fields stated. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims during this difficult time. We are grateful for the swift coordination and assistance from our law enforcement partners in bringing this individual into custody.”
The interstate operation involved the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, Ohio State Highway Patrol, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Officials suspected Fosnaugh was fleeing back to Ohio after the killings and successfully intercepted him before he could evade capture.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting report at a property on Daphne Lane in the Woodlake community on the outskirts of Raleigh around 7.45am Saturday. Officers “located two individuals deceased inside the home,” according to a department release.
According to Megan Wade, the sister of victim Matthew Wade, Fosnaugh broke into Tovmash’s home where she was caring for her younger siblings. “He forced one of her siblings to wake her, then shot her, and then shot my brother, who was sleeping next to her,” Megan wrote on Facebook. The couple was found dead in bed together.
Authorities warned locals that Fosnaugh “should be considered armed and dangerous” whilst he remained at large. He was believed to have fled in a white 2018 Ford Mustang following the killings.
Matthew Wade’s sister described her “unbearable” grief at losing her brother, whom she characterized as “such a kind, loving, caring man” who “would give you the shirt off his back, even if it was his last one.”
Another sister, Courtney Miller, urged people to donate to a GoFundMe page established to cover funeral costs for Tovmash, whose family had fled the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Matt was in the army so his funeral costs will be covered but his girlfriend’s family will be in need of help for Kate’s funeral costs,” Miller wrote on Facebook.
The killing represents the second violent death of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina after escaping war. Last August, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a train in Charlotte by 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., prompting President Donald Trump to call for the death penalty for her attacker.
Moore County officials stated their investigation “remains active,” with detectives “working to fully determine the circumstances that led to this incident.” It remains unclear when Fosnaugh will be extradited to North Carolina to face murder charges.
